India news: Several killed in New Delhi fire

The Indian team will embark on their biggest-ever cricket tour of New Zealand later this year, playing 12 international matches across all formats against the Black Caps.

The tour will include:

• five Twenty20 internationals,
• five one-day internationals, and
• two tests

This will be the most matches ever played by a visiting team in New Zealand.

The series begins with a T20 in Christchurch on October 22, while the first test will be held in Wellington from November 19-23. The second test starts in Christchurch on November 27.

"When it comes to cricket — it simply doesn't get bigger than India and we're determined to deliver New Zealanders a tour like no other," said New Zealand Cricket Marketing and Commercial Officer Glenn Critchley.

A fire in a building in New Delhi's south killed at least 21 people and injured several others on Wednesday, police said.

The blaze broke out in a building with a restaurant on the ground floor and hotel above in the densely populated Malviya Nagar neighborhood.

The police said more than 40 people were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals after eight fire engines were deployed.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

"There was reportedly a restaurant operating on the ⁠ground floor ​of the building ... it ​is most likely that the fire was connected to ​that restaurant," local ‌administration official Jitendra Kumar told reporters.

Television images showed thick smoke billowing from the building as firefighters battled the flames.

Some of the victims were foreign nationals who had traveled to India for medical treatment, local media reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the deaths and announced financial assistance of Rs 200,000 ($2,088, €1,798) for the families of those killed.

The United States has proposed an additional 12.5% tariff on imports from India, saying New Delhi failed to effectively curb imports made with forced labor.

The proposal, announced by the US Trade Representative (USTR), came during a three-day round of trade negotiations in New Delhi between Indian officials and a US delegation.

In a 92-page report released under Section 301 of the US Trade Act, the USTR said India had failed to impose and enforce a prohibition on imports linked to forced labor, calling the policy an unreasonable burden on US commerce.

"The ​failure of ‌our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labor is unacceptable," USTR Ambassador Jamieson Greer said. "This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field."

India's commerce ministry said on Wednesday that the proposed tariffs were not final and that USTR would undergo a public consultation process before any decision was taken.

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Most people applying for German citizenship opt to keep their original nationality, according to a new survey.

Germany's rules changed in 2024 to allow dual citizenship, leading to a surge in new applications. However, Indians do not stand to benefit because India does not allow dual nationality.

"The Constitution of India does not allow holding Indian citizenship and the citizenship of a foreign country simultaneously," an Indian government statement said.

A survey by the Mediendienst Integration research group said that more than 85% of newly naturalized citizens retained their original nationality.

German citizenship a matter of practicality

For someone like Ashish Kumar, 56, taking up German citizenship was eventually a matter of practicality.

"I had the option of getting German citizenship years ago, but I never followed through because of my pride in being Indian," Kumar, who runs an online community helping expats in Germany with the homebuying process, said in an interview with DW.

However, traveling frequently with his German wife and son forced his hand, as a German passport freed him from the constant "lines, queues and paperwork."

"My parents are still in India, so it wasn’t an easy decision, but in the end, frustration pushed me to take German citizenship," he said.

He said it would be great if India had dual citizenship, "especially for my son, so he could keep his roots and connection to the country," Kumar said. "But unfortunately, when I applied, I was told I had to give it up, there was no way around it. So, really, I had no choice."

Madhav, 44, who works in the tech industry in Germany, said that having the option for dual citizenship would allow him to buy back some of his ancestral lands.

"That would be nice," he said.

Hello! This is Shakeel from DW's New Delhi studio, bringing you the top news from across the country.

The US has proposed an additional tariff of 12.5% on imports from India, saying it is among 60 economies importing goods allegedly made with forced labor. This comes even as India-US trade talks are ongoing in New Delhi.

Germany's citizenship rules allow newly naturalized citizens to retain their original nationality. However, Indians don't stand to benefit because India does not allow dual citizenship.

Meanwhile, India will embark on the biggest-ever international cricket tour of New Zealand later this year

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